Sam Pointer

Award-winning singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist Sam Pointer thanks you for stopping by! Check website for more info (www.sampointer.com) and upcoming shows (http://sampointer.com/schedule.htm).Best known as a guitarist (acoustic, electric, slide and 12 string), Sam also plays mandolin, bass, banjo, fiddle, bouzouki, and just about anything else you put in front of him. His rich baritone voice is equally at home on rockers and ballads, and is especially expressive on his many original songs.He spent years touring nationally as the lead guitarist for groundbreaking jam band New Potato Caboose, performed regularly in the Mid-Atlantic as an acoustic solo artist, and was a member of the California bluegrass band Snakes in the Grass. He later led The Sam Pointer Band, a San Francisco roots rock ensemble, before returning to his native Birmingham, Alabama, where he currently performs solo acoustic and with several other acts.Sam’s songwriting has received wide acclaim. His “Are You Ready” won first prize at the Chris Austin Songwriting Contest at Doc Watson’s legendary “MerleFest” in 1998 (other past winners include Gillian Welch and Tift Merritt), and his “What Good is Money” has been recorded by Naked Blue on Viceroy Records and Radio Mosaic on Little Guy Records.Sam’s instrumental prowess has won prizes on guitar and mandolin at the Telluride Bluegrass Festival and has made him a sought-after session player and sideman. He also won the Ed Bell blues competition at the 2005 Sweet Gum Bottom Blues Festival.He is working on a debut CD, scheduled for release in 2009.Sam Pointer has:· jammed on stage with artists including Vince Welnick (of The Grateful Dead), David Grisman, John Popper (of Blues Traveler), Boyd Tinsley (of The Dave Matthews Band), David Gans, Eddie From Ohio, Dix Bruce & Jim Nunally, Lane & the Badass Chickenbones, Bob Brozman, and James Nash (of The Waybacks), as well as Alabama favorites such as Glenn Tolbert, Herb Trotman, Carole Griffin (of the Sugar La La’s), Noble Freeland, Telluride, and The Hurlers;· shared shows with Widespread Panic, The Radiators, Hot Tuna, Dave Mason, Merl Saunders, Ray Manzarek (of The Doors), Blues Traveler, The Aquarium Rescue Unit, Zero, The Samples, The Byrds, The Georgia Satellites, Jupiter Coyote, Webb Wilder, The Tubes, and Southside Johnny & the Jukes;· appeared on recordings by Grammy nominee Christopher Hedge, Rebecca Hoggan (of Hit & Run Bluegrass), Paul Weber, Laughing Man, Snakes in the Grass, YNot, and Jason Bailey;· played top venues across the country, including Tipitina’s (New Orleans), The Fillmore (San Francisco), The Birchmere (Washington, D.C.), The Bottom Line (New York City), South by Southwest Festival (Austin), Slim’s (San Francisco), The Wetlands (New York City), The Masquerade (Atlanta), Chestnut Cabaret (Philadelphia), MerleFest (North Carolina), Freight & Salvage (Berkeley), The Bayou (Washington, D.C); and, yes, the Florabama.· played numerous venues in Birmingham, including City Stages, Sloss Furnace, the Moonlight Music Cafe, Do Dah Day, Five Points South Music Hall, Five Points Grill, Ciao Bar & Grill, Bailey's Pub, The Hippodrum, The Back Alley, Louie Louie, Killarney’s, Oak Hill, Tommy's Up Top, Highland Coffee Company, The Club, The Grape, and Otey’s.